With the uncertainty surrounding Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving moved into the starting lineup for the USA men’s national team in its 105-62 exhibition victory over the Dominican Republic on Aug. 20 at Madison Square Garden.
Rose, a point guard from the Chicago Bulls, was held out of the exhibition game. He has been suffering from pain in his surgically repaired knees.
There was no dropoff in productivity, as the Cavaliers point guard connected on 5 of 5 shots from the field and 2 of 2 from the 3-point line en route to 12 points and five assists.
With roster cuts looming, the 6-foot-3, 193-pound Irving appears to be a lock to make the team.
Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski said Rose’s absence was more about taking a look at other players than being based on injury.
“We told a few guys that they just weren’t going to play tonight so we could get extended minutes and that worked out,” Krzyzewski said. “We’re still evaluating the team.”
Irving had been playing behind Rose, as Team USA prepares for the upcoming FIBA World Cup in Spain.
“We wanted to set a standard tonight and follow our absolutes that we’ve been having throughout the week,” Irving said. “I feel like we’ve had a lot of great days and just wanted to come out here and execute on both ends of the floor and I think we did that tonight.”
Toronto’s DeMar DeRozan and Sacramento’s Rudy Gay — former teammates with the Raptors — were the high scorers for the national team with 13 points apiece.
Detroit center Andre Drummond had the highlight-reel play of the night with a one-handed jam off a feed from DeRozan. Drummond made his best case for a roster spot with 12 points and five rebounds.
The national team has 16 players on its roster. The roster will likely be trimmed to 12 soon.
Team USA will take on Puerto Rico on at 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at Madison Square Garden. From there, it will fly to Gran Canaria, Spain.

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Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@morningjournal.com
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